Marquee players announced for inaugural UAE's ILT20

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Australian Chris Lynn will play Twenty20 cricket in the United Arab Emirates rather than his home Big Bash League (BBL) early next year, but David Warner was not included among the marquee players announced by the new International League T20 (ILT20).

Media reports had strongly linked Warner with a spot in the ILT20, which clashes with the Cricket Australia-owned BBL but is bankrolled in part by Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise owners and pays better.

In the event, Lynn was the only Australian on the list of 21 marquee players named late on Monday by the ILT20, in which up to 12 of the 18 members of each team squad can be from outside the country.

Bit-hitting Lynn, once one of the major stars of BBL but recently dropped by the Brisbane Heat for the next edition, will need the permission of Cricket Australia in the shape of a "No Objection Certificate" to play in the UAE.

The proliferation of T20 leagues around the world, not least the new South African league backed by IPL cash which will also be played in January, has set the stage for an intense battle to get the best players on board.

Among the other marquee players announced by the ILT20 were England internationals Moeen Ali, Dawid Malan and Chris Jordan as well as West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell and Afghan bowler Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

India's governing BCCI forbids its players from taking part in T20 leagues outside the IPL, while Bangladesh hosts its own tournament in the new year and Pakistan has international matches over the period.

Khalid Al Zarooni, Chairman UAE ILT20 League said; “Over the past weeks, ILT20’s six franchises have started discussions and engaged with players, and players’ agents, to exercise their ‘Direct Acquisition’ rights, and we are extremely delighted to be in a position today to announce the first set of players who will compete in UAE’s Inaugural (T20) League.”

The ILT20 said it would announce more international players later in the week.

"The quality of the names announced today is outstanding and so is the interest in our league from top players from all around the world," Mubashshir Usmani of Emirates Cricket said in a news release.

Marquee Players who have signed to appear and compete in the Inaugural edition include;

Moeen Ali, Andre Russell, Dawid Malan, Wanindu Hasiranga, Sunil Narine, Evin Lewis, Colin Munro, Fabien Allen, Sam Billings, Tom Curran, Alex Hales, Dushmantha Chameera, Shimron Hetmyer, Akeal Hosein, Chris Jordan, Tom Banton, Sandeep Lamichhane, Chris Lynn, Rovman Powell, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Mujeeb Ul Rahman

With more players to be announced in the coming days, the ILT20 franchise-teams will be bolstered by further names from global cricket including; Lahiru Kumara, Seekugge Prassanna, Charith Asalanka, Colin Ingram, Paul Stirling, Kennar Lewis, Ali Khan, Brandon Glover, Ravi Rampaul, Raymon Reifer, Isuru Udana, Blessing Muzarabani, Niroshan Dickwella, Hazaratullah Zazai, Frederick Klassen, Sikandar Raja, George Munsey, Dan Lawrence, Dominic Drakes, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, David Wiese, Qais Ahmed, Richard Gleeson, James Vince, Noor Ahmed, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Navin Ul Haq, Sherfane Rutherford, Saqib Mahmood, Ben Duckett, Benny Howell, Ruben Trumpelman.